On a modern farm, compressed air is the fourth utility – just as important as electricity, water, and gas. For UK farms, especially those located in the country's central agricultural regions, such as East Anglia, a well-specified compressed air system is a core business enabler. It’s what powers productivity, protects compliance, and puts money in the pocket.
As the region’s dedicated Atlas Copco specialist, Anglian Compressors helps farms throughout East Anglia and the Midlands harness the power of this essential utility.
Key Agricultural Applications Powered by Compressed Air
Although farmers need compressed air to inflate tractor tyres, the use of compressed air in the agricultural industry is much broader than keeping vehicles on the road. In fact, its applications are varied and critical to day-to-day operations.
General Farm Maintenance
A reliable air supply is the backbone of an efficient farm workshop.
- Powering Pneumatic Tools: Running impact wrenches for machinery repair, nail guns for fencing, and grinders for fabrication.
- Equipment Cleaning: Effectively blowing dust, chaff, and debris from combine harvesters, radiators, and other equipment to prevent overheating and contamination.
Arable and Horticultural Operations
Applications of compressed air in crop production allow precision and automation on an industrial scale.
- Pneumatic Conveying: Transporting grain and other crops with minimal handling damage. The high volumes needed for this application typically range in the thousands of m³/h of continuous flow, conveying product from a harvest, to a storage silo, to another plant with minimal product damage.
- Precision Planting: Driving pneumatic seeders to reduce seed waste and increase plant uniformity through precise placement in the soil.
- Crop Spraying: Atomising fertilisers and pesticides, for even and controlled crop coverage.
- Irrigation Systems: Actuating valves automatically, and blowing out residual water in pipes to winterise systems, preventing freeze damage.
Dairy and Livestock Management
Compressed air is crucial for the automation, hygiene, and welfare systems in modern livestock farming.
- Robotic Milking: Powering the delicate pneumatic controls, gates, and cleaning cycles of automated milking systems.
- Automated Feeding: Distributing feed through pneumatic lines to ensure consistent and timely nutrition for pig and poultry operations.
- Ventilation Control: Operating actuators that manage the climate in barns and greenhouses.
Choosing the Right Compressor for Your Agricultural Operation
Not all compressors are created equal. The demands of a farm workshop are vastly different from those of a 24/7 robotic dairy or a food packing facility. You can explore different types of air compressors to understand the options, but the primary choice for farms is between two technologies.
Piston vs. Rotary Screw Compressors
- Piston compressors are ideal for intermittent use with lower air demand, such as powering tools in a workshop. They typically operate at pressures of 90–150 PSI. They are robust but not designed for continuous operation.
- Rotary Screw Compressors: Engineered for a 100% duty cycle, these are the standard for production-critical applications. They provide a continuous, reliable air supply for tasks like grain conveying, milking, and packaging, offering superior energy efficiency for sustained use at working pressures of 7–13 bar.
The Oil-Free Imperative for Food and Dairy Applications
Oil contamination is a severe problem where there is any possibility of compressed air coming in contact with foodstuffs, animal feed, or sensitive equipment. Oil contamination can ruin a crop, cause expensive recalls, and ruin sensitive pneumatic components in robotic equipment.
100% oil-free compressors are certified Class 0, eliminating oil contamination at the source. With no oil in the compression chamber (unlike oil-lubricated compressors with downstream filters), Class 0 compressors deliver 100% pure, contaminant-free air, making them the safest and most reliable purchase for any high-risk agricultural application.
Ensuring Air Quality: Treatment and Food Safety Compliance
Generating compressed air is only half the battle. Ambient air contains water vapour, dust, and microorganisms, which become concentrated during compression. Without proper treatment, this contaminated air can damage equipment, corrode pipework, and compromise product safety.
This is especially critical for on-farm food processors. Standards for food and beverage industry air compressors are strict. Auditors for schemes like BRCGS require documented proof of air purity. The British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) recommends biannual air quality testing, and Anglian Compressors can provide the formal certification needed to satisfy auditors. To meet these requirements, a complete air treatment system is essential to achieve specific purity standards, such as ISO 8573-1 Class [2:2:1] for direct food contact.
- Dryers: A refrigerant dryer is suitable for general-purpose applications. However, direct food contact applications require a desiccant dryer to achieve a -40°C pressure dew point, creating an environment too dry for microbial growth.
- Filtration: A multi-stage train of coalescing and particulate filters is needed to remove aerosols and solid particles. For food contact, a final, point-of-use sterile filter is non-negotiable.
Solving Key Farming Challenges with an Optimised System
A modern compressed air system is a direct solution to the most significant pressures facing farm managers: high operational costs, the risk of downtime, and complex regulations.
Cutting Costs and Improving Efficiency with VSD Technology
Compressed air is a significant contributor to a farm's electricity bill. There are proven ways to make your air compressor more efficient, which also helps meet sustainability targets, such as the NFU’s Net Zero 2040 goal.
- Variable Speed Drive (VSD) Technology: The variable speed drive (VSD) compressor automatically varies the motor speed to precisely match demand in real-time, eliminating the energy inefficiencies of a fixed-speed machine operating at part load and reducing energy consumption by up to 60%.
- Heat Recovery Systems: Farmers can recover up to 94% of waste compressor heat and reuse it for various practical applications, including generating hot water for dairy parlours, heating greenhouses, or preheating equipment washdowns. Heat recovery systems have an ROI in under two years.
Protecting Farm Operations from Costly Downtime
On a dairy farm, a stoppage of just one hour during a milking cycle can result in thousands of pounds lost; on harvests, a breakdown is disastrous. Reliability isn’t an option. It’s a requirement that relies on quality equipment and a proactive approach to support. Following a professional air compressor maintenance guide will prolong the life of your machine.
A bespoke service plan from Anglian Compressors will ensure your system benefits from routine care at regular intervals, provided by expert engineers using genuine OEM parts. For ultimate reassurance, consider investing in SMARTLINK remote monitoring to keep a constant eye on your compressor 24/7, allowing you to be notified of any issues before they lead to a breakdown.
Meeting Legal and Regulatory Duties
Operating a pressure system comes with legal responsibilities. Under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR), most commercial systems must have a Written Scheme of Examination (WSE) before they can be operated. This document, certified by a competent person, outlines the schedule for mandatory statutory inspections. We provide these services to ensure your farm remains fully compliant.
Your Local Partner for Agricultural Air Solutions
For farm businesses in East Anglia and the 'breadbasket of Britain', having a local engineering partner is key. Anglian Compressors has been an Atlas Copco Premier Distributor since 1977, combining world-class technology with nearly five decades of hands-on expertise.
From our base in Peterborough, we provide a rapid 24/7 call-out service across the region. We design, install, and maintain systems for all agricultural applications and can service all makes and models of equipment. We’re also your sustainability partner. Reduce your farm’s carbon footprint by investing in energy-efficient technologies such as VSD, heat recovery, and on-site nitrogen generation to work towards the long-term targets of the dairy industry.
A well-managed compressed air system is a wise investment in your farm’s productivity, profitability, and future.
Don’t gamble with expensive downtime this season. Schedule your free on-farm audit now and ensure compliance, efficiency, and reliability for your farm.